1.1.1.1 Chapter 20
The following day in command, Beka shyly eyes Tyr with tense thoughts of her dream…(excuse me) nightmare, and has a hard time concentrating on the task at hand. Rommie is the first to notice and walks up behind, then next to Beka. Beka jumps a little, but quickly recovers.
"Jeez, Rommie, you gave me a scare there for a second," Beka says.
"You seem more jittery than usual. Is something the matter?" Rommie inquires.
"What, something wrong with me? Oh yeah, there's about a million things wrong with me…"
"I meant something more…recent. I'm detecting an elevation in your heart rate, sweat secretions are above normal, and—"
"Okay, well, maybe there's something…"
"I think you should take a break," Rommie replies.
"Excuse me?"
"You're not concentrating on your job, I can tell. I will tell Dylan that you needed to take a break for a few hours. You can come talk to me—the other me—in the officer's lounge."
Beka doesn't argue. She just wants to get out of that room and out of mind-set of Tyr.
What is happening to me? Beka thinks to herself. I'm falling apart, Dylan must be getting fed up with me, and I haven't been out for fun in a long time. What am I turning into? Dammit Christopher…
"You called?"
Beka looks off to her side, while still walking towards the officer's lounge; she takes the long way around, trying to get her mind cleared before going in there. She sees Christopher walking along side with her, smiling.
"Hello, Christopher. Good-bye Christopher." Beka sharply returns.
"Awe, c'mon on. You've been pushing me out for weeks."
"That's the whole point Chris. I want you out of my head. I don't even know how you got so tangled up in there to begin with."
"Is that so hard to believe?" he says.
"Just, please, go. I could really do without it today."
Chris smiles some more. Beka notices and stops abruptly, facing him. She looks into his eyes steadily, and says:
"What are you so smiley about?"
His expression turns playful, and answers, "Nothing."
"Tell me."
"I just happened to see something that maybe I shouldn't have seen…"
"About what?"
"About you…you and Tyr…"
He smiles some more, and Beka blushes, turning to walk on.
She turns her head towards him, "I can't believe you would—"
"Hold it! Before you go any further with that, I wasn't spying in on your dream. I just happened to cross pass it."
Beka takes in a breath to start again, but is quieted again by Christopher, saying:
"I know what's happening. And I just want you to know that I'm fine with it."
Before Beka can say anything, she blinks and he is gone. She stops, then shakes it off and walks to the officers' lounge, meeting holo-Rommie there. She walks in and takes a seat on an over-sized chair.
"Relaxed a little more?" Andromeda asks.
Beka looks up, playing with her fingers as a sign of nervousness, "Uh, well, no."
"Anything you want to talk about?"
"You wouldn't believe me…"
"Try me."
Beka takes in a deep breath and exhales.
She starts, "Okay, so, I've told you about Chris and everything else, but there's kind-of one thing I haven't said to you, or anybody for that matter."
"What is it?"
Beka takes a deep breath.
"It's Christopher—I have these, I don't know, appearances of him, in the day time."
"I don't understand, you have daydreams about him?"
"There not dreams, Rommie. They're real, I know it," Beka says, then goes silent for a moment. "I guess that qualifies for being insane, doesn't it?"
Rommie looks at Beka with a meaningful 'taken-pity-on' face.
"Beka," she starts. "I think you should go have fun. Go dance and meet new people."
Beka looks at Rommie with surprise.
"Um, I'm sorry, what? 'Cause I could've sworn you just implied the fact that I should go to some rave and party to my hearts content and wake up the next morning with a hang-over."
"Well, all except for the hang-over part."
Beka eyes the holo-Rommie mysteriously.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with the real Rommie?"
"Just be ready by eight, okay? I'll take care of the rest. Besides, it has been proven that getting out and having fun does wonders for the mental condition of humans."
"And is anyone coming with me?"
"Bring anyone you like," Rommie says.
"Okay then, well, I guess that's it then. See you tonight."
Beka gets up to leave.
Rommie stops her though, "Beka wait. There's one more thing. The dream you had last night…"
Oh, so close.
"Rats…" she whispers to herself and sits back down.
"Yes, that. Anything you want to tell me? Was it a dream of Christopher?"
She lies to save herself the embarrassment, "Uh, yeah. A Chris one. Real bad."
Despite Beka's efforts to cover it up, Rommie can tell she's lying.
"Now, I know that's not the truth. You can tell me. Please."
Beka hesitates for a minute, then confesses.
~~~~~~~
"Tyr!" Dylan laughs.
"That's what she said," avatar Rommie says.
"I know, but, Tyr?"
"It's not uncommon for humans to experience abnormal dreams like these. Many times people will dream about kissing their brother or sister, or someone close to them that they know, but wouldn't do anything with them in the real universe. Sometimes they'll dream about the people they hate, or love and strange things will happen. It's just a dream, Dylan, I don't think there's anything we should be worried about."
"If you say so," he says.
He notices she's still standing, like there is something else.
"Is there something else?" he asks.
"I think she needs to get out more. So, I told her she should go have some fun at our stop tonight."
"I'm negotiating some things on a drift that's like one big party. You're saying she should go?"
"I think it's for the best."
"Well, whatever's best, right?"
Rommie nods her head.
"I think this whole crew should go, personally."
Dylan looks at her; "You think that?"
"Just my opinion. Everyone seems a little uptight and maybe this could loosen everyone up a bit."
"Well, then. I guess it's off to the wonderful land of raves we go. Thank you, Rommie, you can go now."
Rommie smiles and exits quietly out the doorway.
The following day in command, Beka shyly eyes Tyr with tense thoughts of her dream…(excuse me) nightmare, and has a hard time concentrating on the task at hand. Rommie is the first to notice and walks up behind, then next to Beka. Beka jumps a little, but quickly recovers.
"Jeez, Rommie, you gave me a scare there for a second," Beka says.
"You seem more jittery than usual. Is something the matter?" Rommie inquires.
"What, something wrong with me? Oh yeah, there's about a million things wrong with me…"
"I meant something more…recent. I'm detecting an elevation in your heart rate, sweat secretions are above normal, and—"
"Okay, well, maybe there's something…"
"I think you should take a break," Rommie replies.
"Excuse me?"
"You're not concentrating on your job, I can tell. I will tell Dylan that you needed to take a break for a few hours. You can come talk to me—the other me—in the officer's lounge."
Beka doesn't argue. She just wants to get out of that room and out of mind-set of Tyr.
What is happening to me? Beka thinks to herself. I'm falling apart, Dylan must be getting fed up with me, and I haven't been out for fun in a long time. What am I turning into? Dammit Christopher…
"You called?"
Beka looks off to her side, while still walking towards the officer's lounge; she takes the long way around, trying to get her mind cleared before going in there. She sees Christopher walking along side with her, smiling.
"Hello, Christopher. Good-bye Christopher." Beka sharply returns.
"Awe, c'mon on. You've been pushing me out for weeks."
"That's the whole point Chris. I want you out of my head. I don't even know how you got so tangled up in there to begin with."
"Is that so hard to believe?" he says.
"Just, please, go. I could really do without it today."
Chris smiles some more. Beka notices and stops abruptly, facing him. She looks into his eyes steadily, and says:
"What are you so smiley about?"
His expression turns playful, and answers, "Nothing."
"Tell me."
"I just happened to see something that maybe I shouldn't have seen…"
"About what?"
"About you…you and Tyr…"
He smiles some more, and Beka blushes, turning to walk on.
She turns her head towards him, "I can't believe you would—"
"Hold it! Before you go any further with that, I wasn't spying in on your dream. I just happened to cross pass it."
Beka takes in a breath to start again, but is quieted again by Christopher, saying:
"I know what's happening. And I just want you to know that I'm fine with it."
Before Beka can say anything, she blinks and he is gone. She stops, then shakes it off and walks to the officers' lounge, meeting holo-Rommie there. She walks in and takes a seat on an over-sized chair.
"Relaxed a little more?" Andromeda asks.
Beka looks up, playing with her fingers as a sign of nervousness, "Uh, well, no."
"Anything you want to talk about?"
"You wouldn't believe me…"
"Try me."
Beka takes in a deep breath and exhales.
She starts, "Okay, so, I've told you about Chris and everything else, but there's kind-of one thing I haven't said to you, or anybody for that matter."
"What is it?"
Beka takes a deep breath.
"It's Christopher—I have these, I don't know, appearances of him, in the day time."
"I don't understand, you have daydreams about him?"
"There not dreams, Rommie. They're real, I know it," Beka says, then goes silent for a moment. "I guess that qualifies for being insane, doesn't it?"
Rommie looks at Beka with a meaningful 'taken-pity-on' face.
"Beka," she starts. "I think you should go have fun. Go dance and meet new people."
Beka looks at Rommie with surprise.
"Um, I'm sorry, what? 'Cause I could've sworn you just implied the fact that I should go to some rave and party to my hearts content and wake up the next morning with a hang-over."
"Well, all except for the hang-over part."
Beka eyes the holo-Rommie mysteriously.
"Okay, who are you and what have you done with the real Rommie?"
"Just be ready by eight, okay? I'll take care of the rest. Besides, it has been proven that getting out and having fun does wonders for the mental condition of humans."
"And is anyone coming with me?"
"Bring anyone you like," Rommie says.
"Okay then, well, I guess that's it then. See you tonight."
Beka gets up to leave.
Rommie stops her though, "Beka wait. There's one more thing. The dream you had last night…"
Oh, so close.
"Rats…" she whispers to herself and sits back down.
"Yes, that. Anything you want to tell me? Was it a dream of Christopher?"
She lies to save herself the embarrassment, "Uh, yeah. A Chris one. Real bad."
Despite Beka's efforts to cover it up, Rommie can tell she's lying.
"Now, I know that's not the truth. You can tell me. Please."
Beka hesitates for a minute, then confesses.
~~~~~~~
"Tyr!" Dylan laughs.
"That's what she said," avatar Rommie says.
"I know, but, Tyr?"
"It's not uncommon for humans to experience abnormal dreams like these. Many times people will dream about kissing their brother or sister, or someone close to them that they know, but wouldn't do anything with them in the real universe. Sometimes they'll dream about the people they hate, or love and strange things will happen. It's just a dream, Dylan, I don't think there's anything we should be worried about."
"If you say so," he says.
He notices she's still standing, like there is something else.
"Is there something else?" he asks.
"I think she needs to get out more. So, I told her she should go have some fun at our stop tonight."
"I'm negotiating some things on a drift that's like one big party. You're saying she should go?"
"I think it's for the best."
"Well, whatever's best, right?"
Rommie nods her head.
"I think this whole crew should go, personally."
Dylan looks at her; "You think that?"
"Just my opinion. Everyone seems a little uptight and maybe this could loosen everyone up a bit."
"Well, then. I guess it's off to the wonderful land of raves we go. Thank you, Rommie, you can go now."
Rommie smiles and exits quietly out the doorway.